Description

ABOUT THE WINERY:

The Sumeire family, owners of the Domaine de Font-Freye since 1933, bought the Château la Tour de l’Evêque in 1958, near Pierrefeu, in the Var department. La Tour de l’Evêque was in the past the summer residence of the Bishops of Toulon, whose coat of arms is now shown on wine labels. In 1977 Régine Sumeire also bought Château Barbeyrolles, located at the foot of Gassin, one of the three villages of the “Presqu’île de Saint-Tropez”. 78 are the hectares of vineyards owned by Château la Tour de l’Evêque and 12 by Château Barbeyrolles. Following the family tradition based on natural viticulture, since 2005 all the vineyards have been cultivated in compliance with organic production. Massal selection is carried out; some parcels are treated with biodynamic preparations and the land is worked with the help of horses. The harvests are always manual in small boxes, with selection of the grapes in the vineyard and use of refrigerated vehicles for the short journey to the cellar. The vinification of all the wines takes place by gravity. For whites and rosés, a Champenois-type hydraulic press is used, with pressing of the whole grapes without de-stemming, without punching down. Fermentation with indigenous yeasts follows, in stainless steel containers at a controlled temperature.